5 In-form midfielders to have in your Fantasy Premier League team
The 2019-20 Premier League season has lived up to its billing over the first seven match-weeks and has served up some compelling contests.
Last season’s tearaway sides, Liverpool and Manchester City, haven’t let their foot off the pedal as the duo find themselves among the upper trenches of the league standings. However, the Merseysiders currently enjoy a 5-point lead over the defending champions, meaning that they’ve had the better of the early exchanges.
Elsewhere, Manchester United have largely struggled whereas the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham have blown hot and cold.
Leicester City though, seem to be the most improved team this term as a string of victories has propelled them into the top four.
Watford, meanwhile, are languishing at the wrong end of the table with the Hornets only managing a meagre tally of 2 points after 7 matches.
Akin to the drama and entertainment on the pitch, there has been plenty of intrigue off it, namely the Fantasy Premier League and the surprises it has entailed.
Though a few of the usual suspects have started the season in fine fettle, there have been several unheralded stars who’ve sizzled in the formative stages, thereby forcing FPL managers to rummage through the resources at their disposal.
Thus, courtesy the lens of this article, we would take a look at five in-form midfielders one needs to keep an eye out for, especially considering the numbers they’ve been producing lately.
#5 James Maddison (Leicester City)
The Englishman has taken the Premier League landscape by storm ever since signing for Leicester City in the 2018 off-season. Consequently, James Maddison has established himself as an extremely vital cog of Brendan Rodgers’ effervescent side.
Blessed with exemplary vision and dazzling dribbling attributes, the midfielder is a handful for any defence, not just in England but also across Europe.
And, this season, he has just taken his performances up a notch.
In 6 league games, the Englishman possesses 2 assists and a solitary goal in addition to a couple of Man of the Match awards. Thus, highlighting that he has been consistently influencing games.
Moreover, Maddison averages 3.3 shots and 1.8 key passes per game, meaning that he is much better placed to lay on assists or make the net bulge.
The Englishman is also a designated dead-ball specialist and takes corners and free-kicks for Leicester. Subsequently, his chances for bagging an assist increase significantly.
Playing alongside Jamie Vardy, Harvey Barnes and Youri Tielemans, Maddison would get several chances to add to his goal and assist tally.
Hence, even at such an early stage in the term, the Englishman is a must-have when planning for one’s Fantasy Premier League team.
#4 Felipe Anderson (West Ham)
The Brazilian has enjoyed his time in East London after he made the move to West Ham last summer. In his first season, he scored 9 times and popped up with 6 assists, thereby proving himself to be one of the off-season’s most astute acquisitions.
And, he has just carried over that form into the 2019-20 term.
In Manuel Pellegrini’s second season in charge, West Ham are scaling the peaks many had felt they were primed to, last term. There is much more conviction about the Hammers’ offensive play and they have seemed to iron out a few defensive flaws too.
Thus, the East London outfit has taken off this term and currently finds itself on 12 points after 7 games. Consequently, several of their offensive players have enjoyed the freedom accorded to them and Anderson in particular, has thrived.
In 6 matches, the Brazilian has managed 3 assists, meaning that he has produced an assist every other game, a rather remarkable stat considering he often functions on the wings.
Apart from the assists, he has conjured 1.8 key passes per game, in the process, highlighting his importance to the Hammers’ attacking play.
Anderson also takes quite a few set-pieces and that facet places him in much better stead, as compared to his peers, when talking about his chances of creating a goal.
Hence, the Brazilian, in light of the form and the consistency he has shown, certainly classifies as one of those midfielders one needs to have in one’s Fantasy Premier League side.
#3 Emiliano Buendia (Norwich City)
Norwich have made an impact after making the step up to the Premier League in 2019-20, despite finding themselves in the bottom half of the table. The Canaries remain the only side to have beaten Manchester City this season and have produced some scintillating displays of attacking football.
And, courtesy their offensive brand of football, numerous forwards and midfielders have prospered, including Emiliano Buendia.
The Argentine midfielder has been in the thick of things and has already bagged 4 assists in 7 games.
Additionally, he averages 2.4 key passes, 2.9 long balls and 1.3 crosses per game, thereby considerably improving his chances of carving open an opposition.
Moreover, he enjoys a splendid relationship with Teemu Pukki, which suggests that Buendia has a forward capable of finishing off the openings that he creates.
Thus, the Argentine could be a bargain buy for several Fantasy Premier League managers as they search for a midfielder specialising in providing an end product.
#2 Riyad Mahrez (Manchester City)
Riyad Mahrez has lit up the Premier League this season and looks en route to rediscovering the mojo he possessed at Leicester City. After encountering teething problems at Manchester City, the Algerian seems to have acclimatised completely, thereby managing to provide another dimension to the defending champions’ attack.
Despite playing 398 minutes out of a possible 630, the winger has managed to provide 3 assists and score twice. In the process, he has been involved in a goal every 79.6 minutes.
Additionally, in a City side bubbling with attacking talent, the Algerian would be accorded several opportunities to bolster his numbers.
Moreover, Mahrez takes several corners and free-kicks for the defending champions, thereby bettering his chances of adding to his assists or scoring directly from free-kicks, as he did against Everton.
Hence, at this stage, the Algerian certainly is one of the most in-form players in the league and has contributed immensely to the Cityzens’ strong start.
And, it isn’t a surprise that Mahrez is wanted by countless FPL managers as they look to inject their respective teams with offensive impetus.
#1 Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Kevin de Bruyne has set the Premier League stage ablaze this term with a number of superlative performances.
In 7 appearances, the Belgian has racked up an astounding 8 assists whereas he has also made the net ripple on two other occasions.
However, the most impressive aspect about his displays have been the sheer amount of openings he has created for his teammates.
Though he already boasts 8 assists, he also averages a mind-boggling 4.1 key passes per match, hinting that he could accumulate several more assists as the campaign progresses.
In addition, he is also entrusted with taking a few set-pieces and that could prove crucial as he embarks on his journey of breaking the all-time record for the highest number of assists in a single season.
Thus, at this juncture, there doesn’t seem to be a better midfielder than De Bruyne on the planet, let alone the Premier League.
Consequently, he is a midfielder that every Fantasy Premier League manager craves and one that most managers must pull out all the stops for.
